The show is about a very odd man about whom we know nothing except his last name, who basically wanders around, getting into trouble, finding unique solutions to predicaments, and wilfully causing mayhem. Mr. Bean is perhaps the ultimate example of No Social Skills. Not only does he seem to be unfamiliar with all social conventions and standard methods for doing anything, he never even demonstrates normal human thought processes — witness his strategy for protecting his furniture and possessions when painting his flat, which is to wrap every single item in newspaper right down to individual grapes.

All the humor is visual, to the point that the character says perhaps a couple dozen words throughout the entire run of the series. Pretty much every plot is based around how Mr. Bean handles an everyday situation, such as going to a department store, going to church, sitting for an exam, etc. In essence, it was a Sketch Show in disguise, especially considering the way that the "plot" was only maintained throughout a few of the episodes. Because of its largely visual and disconnected nature, it is still Rowan Atkinson's most lucrative and recognized work, mainly because airlines bought it to avoid having to do translations, which means it is big pretty much everywhere.